1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the kings heart was toward Absalom.2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.3 Go to the king and speak to him in this manner. So Joab put the words in her mouth.4 And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, Help, O king!5 And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she answered, Truly I am a widow and my husband is dead.6 And your handmaid had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him.7 And now the whole family has risen up against your handmaid, and said, Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the soul of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also. Thus they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant upon the face of the earth.8 And the king said to the woman, Go to your house, and I will give command concerning you.9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my fathers house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.10 And the king said, Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.11 And she said, Please let the king remember Jehovah your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, that they not destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.12 Then the woman said, Please, let your handmaid speak another word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.13 And the woman said: Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again.14 For we die the death and are like water poured on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a soul; but has devised plans, so that His banished ones are not thrust away from Him.15 Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your handmaid thought, I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will carry out the word of his handmaid.16 For the king will hear and deliver his handmaid from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.17 And your handmaid thought, The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And Jehovah your God be with you.18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, Please do not hide from me anything that I am asking you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king speak.19 So the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab has commanded me, and he has put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.20 In order to change around the face of this matter your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the earth.21 And the king said to Joab, Behold, I have done this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, O king, in that the king has done the word of his servant.23 So Joab rose up and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.24 And the king said, Let him return to his own house, but he shall not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the kings face.25 Now in all Israel there was no one as handsome as Absalom, and highly praised. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.26 And when he shaved his head (at the end of a year of days he shaved it because it was heavy on him; therefore he shaved it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the kings weight stones.27 And to Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.28 And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the kings face.29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come.30 So he said to his servants, Behold, Joabs field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absaloms servants set the field on fire.31 Then Joab arose and came to Absaloms house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore, let me see the kings face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.33 So Joab went to the king and reported to him. And when he had summoned Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.
1 Forsothe Joab, the sone of Saruye, vndirstood, that the herte of the kyng was turned to Absolon;2 and he sente to Thecua, and took fro thennus a wise womman, and he seide to hir, Feyne thee to morene, and be thou clothid with clooth of duyl, and be thou anoyntid with oile, that thou be as a womman by morenynge `now in ful myche tyme a deed man.3 And thou schalt entre to the kyng, and thou schalt speke to hym siche wordis. Sotheli Joab puttide the wordis in hir mouth.4 Therfor whanne the womman of Thecua hadde entrid to the kyng, sche felde bifor hym on the erthe, and worschipide, and seide, A! kyng, kepe me.5 And the kyng seide to hir, What hast thou of cause? And sche answeride, Alas! Y am a womman widewe, for myn hosebonde is deed;6 and tweyne sones weren of thin handmayde, whiche debatiden ayens hem silf in the feeld, and `noon was that myyte forbede hem, and oon smoot `the tother, and killide hym.7 And lo! al the kynrede risith ayens thin handmayde, and seith, Yyue thou hym that killide his brothir, that we sle hym for the lijf of his brother whom he killide, and that we do awei the eir; and thei seken to quenche my sparcle whych is lefte, that name dwelle not to myn hosebonde, and relikis, `ethir remenauntis, be not to him on erthe.8 And the kyng seide to the womman, Go in to thin hows, and Y schal comaunde for thee.9 And the womman of Thecua seide to the kyng, My lord the kyng, this wickidnesse be on me, and on the hows of my fadir; forsothe the kyng and his trone be innocent.10 And the kyng seide, Brynge thou hym to me, that ayenseith thee, and he schal no more adde that he touche thee.11 And sche seide, The kyng haue mynde on his Lord God, and the nexte men of blood to take veniaunce be not multiplied, and `thei schulen not sle my sone. And the kyng seide, The Lord lyueth, for noon of the heeris of thi sone schal falle on the erthe.12 Therfor the womman seide, Thin handmayde speke a word to my lord the kyng. And the kyng seide, Speke thou.13 And the womman seide, Whi `thouytist thou sich a thing ayens the puple of God? and the kyng spak this word, that he do synne, and brynge not ayen his sone cast out?14 Alle we dyen, and as watris that schulen not turne ayen, we sliden in to erthe; and God nyl that a soule perische, but he withdrawith, and thenkith lest he perische outirly, which is cast awey.15 Now therfor come thou, that Y speke to my lord the kyng this word, while the puple is present; and thin handmaide seide, Y schal speke to the kyng, if in ony maner the kyng do the word of his handmayde.16 And the kyng herde the wordis, that he schulde delyuere his handmayde fro the hondis of alle men, that wolden do awei me, and my sone to gidere, fro the eritage of the Lord.17 Therfor thin hand mayde seie, that the word of my lord the kyng be maad as sacrifice, `that is, that the sentence youun of hym be plesaunt to God, as sacrifice plesith God; for as an aungel of the Lord, so is my lord the kyng, that he be not mouyd bi blessyng nether bi cursyng. Wherfor and thi Lord God is with thee.18 And the kyng answeride, and seide to the womman, Hide thou not fro me the word which Y axe thee. And the womman seide to hym, Speke thou, my lord the kyng.19 And the kyng seide, Whether the hond of Joab is with thee in alle these thingis? The womman answeride, and seide, Bi the helthe of thi soule, my lord the kyng, nether to the left side nether to the riyt side is ony thing of alle these thingis, whiche my lord the kyng spak. For thi seruaunt Joab hym silf comaundide to me, and he puttide alle these wordis in to the mouth of thin handmaide,20 that Y schulde turne the figure of this word; for thi seruaunt Joab comaundide this thing. Forsothe thou, my lord the kyng, art wijs, as an aungel of God hath wisdom, that thou vnderstonde alle thingis on erthe.21 And the kyng seide to Joab, Lo! Y am plesid, and Y haue do thi word; therfor go thou, and ayen clepe thou the child Absolon.22 And Joab felde on his face to erthe, and worschipide, and blesside the kyng; and Joab seide, Thi seruaunt hath vndirstonde to dai, that Y foond grace in thin iyen, my lord the kyng, for thou hast do the word of thi seruaunt.23 Therfor Joab roos, and yede in to Gessur, and brouyte Absolon in to Jerusalem.24 Forsothe the kyng seide, Turne he ayen in to his hows, and se not he my face.25 Therfor Absolon turnede ayen in to his hows, and siy not the face of the kyng. Sotheli no man in al Israel was so fair as Absolon, and ful comeli; fro the step of the foot `til to the top, `no wem was in hym;26 and in as myche as `he clippide more the heeris, bi so myche thei wexiden more; forsothe he was clippid onys in the yeer, for the heer greuede him. And whanne he clippide the heeris, he weiyide `the heeris of his heed bi twei hundrid siclis with comyn weiyte.27 Forsothe thre sones, and a douyter, Thamar bi name, of `excellent forme weren borun to Absolon.28 And Absolon dwellide in Jerusalem twei yeer, and he siy not the face of the kyng.29 Therfor he sente to Joab, that he schulde sende hym to the kyng; which Joab nolde come to hym. And whanne he hadde sent the secounde tyme, and Joab nolde come,30 Absolon seide to hise seruauntis, Ye knowen the feeld of Joab bisidis my feeld hauynge ripe barli; therfor go ye, and brenne ye it with fier. Therfor the seruauntis of Absolon brenten the corn with fier. And the seruauntis of Joab camen with her clothis to-rent, and seiden, The seruauntis31 of Absolon han brent the part of feeld bi fier. And Joab roos, and cam to Absolon in to his hows, and seide, Whi32 han thi seruauntis brent my corn bi fier? And Absolon answeride to Joab, Y sente to thee, and bisouyte that thou schuldist come to me, and that Y schulde sende thee to the kyng, that thou schuldist seie to hym, Whi cam Y fro Gessur? It was betere to me to be there; therfor Y biseche, that Y se the face of the kyng, that if he is myndeful of my wickidnesse, sle he me.33 Joab entride to the kyng, and telde to hym. And Absolon was clepid, and entryde to the kyng, and worschipide on the face of erthe bifor hym, and the kyng kisside Absolon.